Methods and apparatus for drying condensed distiller&#39;s solubles (cds) to produce dried distiller&#39;s solubles (dds)

ABSTRACT

Dried distiller&#39;s solubles is described. Methods for drying condensed distiller&#39;s solubles into dried distiller&#39;s solubles are presented. The methods may include introducing the condensed distiller&#39;s solubles into a drying gas stream and recovering dried distiller&#39;s solubles from the drying gas stream.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/398,984 filed Mar. 5, 2009, which claims the benefit and priority ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/068,191 filed on Mar. 5, 2008 andentitled, APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DRIED CDS, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/398,984 is also acontinuation-in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/215,214,filed on Jun. 25, 2008, and entitled, DRYING APPARATUS AND METHODS FORETHANOL PRODUCTION, which claims the benefit and priority and is anon-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/937,073, filed onJun. 25, 2007, and entitled, DRYING APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ETHANOLPRODUCTION, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions relate to apparatus and methods for ethanolproduction, and, more particularly, to the apparatus and methods for thedrying of stillage produced by an ethanol production facility.

BACKGROUND

Stillage produced by an ethanol production facility may be fractionatedinto various stillage fractions including a suspended fraction. Thesuspended fraction includes materials generally suspended, solubilized,and/or dissolved in water. Drying of the suspended fraction into a driedform would generally preserve the suspended fraction, and might allowfor storage and/or distribution of the suspended fraction in dried form.The suspended fraction in dried form may have nutritional value and mayhave utility in various industrial processes. In various aspects, thesuspended fraction may include proteins, oils, amino acids, and othermaterials that make drying of the suspended fraction difficult withoutoxidizing and/or denaturing at least portions of the suspended fraction.

Accordingly, a need exists for compositions of the suspended fraction ofstillage in a dried form as well as apparatus and methods for drying thesuspended fraction of stillage.

SUMMARY

Methods, apparatus and compositions disclosed herein may resolve many ofthe needs and shortcomings discussed above and will provide additionalimprovements and advantages that may be recognized by those of ordinaryskill in the art upon review of the present disclosure.

Methods are disclosed herein. The methods, in various aspects, includeintroducing condensed distiller's solubles (CDS) into a drying gasstream and recovering dried distiller's solubles (DDS) from the dryinggas stream. The drying gas stream may have a high velocity in the rangeof about 60 meters per second to about 260 meters per second. In someembodiments, the drying gas stream may have a velocity between about 120meters per second and about 160 meters per second. In some embodimentsthe drying gas stream may have a maximum velocity in the range of about60 meters per second to about 260 meters per second, or from about 120meters per second to about 160 meters per second. In some aspects, thegas stream may be a pulsed gas stream. In some embodiments, the CDS maybe introduced into a gas stream having a temperature between about 600°F. and 1800° F., or between about 900° F. and about 1200° F. In some orother embodiments, the gas stream may have a second temperature, oroutlet temperature ranging from about 120° F. to about 200° F. In someaspects, the CDS may be dried in a continuous process.

An apparatus is disclosed herein. The apparatus, in various aspects,includes an ethanol production facility and a pulse combustion dryer,the pulse combustion dryer in fluid communication with the ethanolproduction facility such that a suspended fraction of stillage may becommunicated from the ethanol production facility to the pulsecombustion dryer to be dried into dried distiller's solubles DDS. Inother embodiments, the pulse combustion dryer may be separate from theethanol production facility.

A composition is disclosed herein. In various aspects, the compositionis DDS, with a moisture content between about 0.5% and about 10%, andwherein the DDS is formed by drying condensed distiller's solubles (CDS)in a drying gas stream in a continuous process.

Other features and advantages of the methods, apparatus, andcompositions disclosed herein will become apparent from the followingdetailed description and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates by schematic diagram an exemplary embodiment of theproduction of CDS and the drying of CDS according to aspects of thepresent inventions;

FIG. 2A illustrates by schematic diagram an embodiment of the pulsecombustion dryer according to aspects of the present inventions; and

FIG. 2B illustrates by schematic diagram a cross-section of anembodiment of the drying chamber according to aspects of the presentinventions.

All Figures are illustrated for ease of explanation of the basicteachings of the present inventions only; the extensions of the Figureswith respect to number, position, order, relationship and dimensionswill be explained or will be within the skill of the art after thefollowing description has been read and understood. Further, theapparatus, materials and other operational parameters to conform tospecific size, dimension, force, weight, strength, velocity,temperatures, flow and similar requirements will likewise be within theskill of the art after the following description has been read andunderstood.

Where used to describe the drawings, the terms “top,” “bottom,” “right,”“left,” “forward,” “rear,” “first,” “second,” “inside,” “outside,” andsimilar terms may be used, the terms should be understood to referencethe structure and methods described in the specification and illustratedin the drawings as they generally correspond to their with the apparatusand methods in accordance with the present inventions as will berecognized by those skilled in the art upon review of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Dried Distiller's Solubles (DDS) as a composition, production apparatusfor DDS, and methods for the production of DDS are described herein. TheDDS production apparatus may generate a drying gas stream to remove thewater from Condensed Distiller's Solubles (CDS) in order to dry the CDSinto DDS. In one aspect, the water is vaporized from the CDS by thedrying gas stream to produce the DDS. The drying gas stream may beheated and/or pulsed in various aspects. Methods include drying CDS intoDDS using the drying gas stream.

The Figures generally illustrate various exemplary embodiments of theDDS production apparatus 10, compositions, and methods. The particularexemplary embodiments illustrated in the Figures have been chosen forease of explanation and understanding. These illustrated embodiments arenot meant to limit the scope of coverage, but, instead, to assist inunderstanding the context of the language used in this specification andin the claims. Accordingly, variations of the DDS production apparatus10, compositions, and methods that differ from the illustratedembodiments may be encompassed by the appended claims.

With reference generally to the Figures, in various aspects, the DDSproduction apparatus 10 may include an ethanol production facility 15,which includes one or more process units 210 configured to convert atleast portions of a feedstock into fermentable components 302, toferment the fermentable components 302 into ethanol, and to recover theethanol. The feedstock in various aspects may be starch-based biomasssuch as corn and/or other grains, cellulosic biomass such as plantmaterials having high concentrations of cellulose and/or hemicellulose,or combinations thereof. In various aspects, the feedstock is combinedwith water to form a liquid-based processing stream 310, and theliquid-based processing stream 310 is communicated through the one ormore process units 210. Water, as used herein, may include water, waterin combination with various acids, bases, and buffers, and water incombination with other solvents, surfactants, and/or additives, andother solvents and/or volatiles.

The one or more process units 210 of the ethanol production facility 15,in various aspects, are configured to reduce polysaccharides such asstarch and/or cellulose in the liquid-based processing stream 310 intofermentable components 302, to ferment the fermentable components 302into ethanol, and to recover the ethanol from the liquid-basedprocessing stream 310. In various aspects, the ethanol may be recoveredin an anhydrous form. Stillage 330, in various aspects, is the remainderof the liquid-based processing stream 310 following the recovery of theethanol from the liquid-based processing stream 310.

Ethanol, as used herein, includes ethanol as well as butanol and variousother alcohols and other organic chemicals producible throughfermentation of the fermentable components 302 of the feedstock. Thefermentable components 302 of the feedstock may be fermented, at leastin part, into ethanol by yeast. Yeast, as used herein, includes yeast,other fermentation microorganisms, complimentary microorganisms, andcombinations thereof, as would be recognized by those of ordinary skillin the art upon study of this disclosure.

The ethanol production facility 15 in various aspects includes at leasta fermentation unit 350 and a distillation column 360, and may includeadditional process units 210 generally configured to cooperate with thefermentation unit 350 and the distillation column 360 to produce ethanolfrom the feedstock material. The fermentation unit 350, in variousaspects, is configured to receive the liquid-based processing stream 310containing fermentable components 302. The fermentable components 302 inthe liquid-based processing stream 310 may be fermented, at least inpart, into ethanol by the fermentation unit 350, and the liquid-basedprocessing stream 310 containing ethanol may be communicated from thefermentation unit 350 to the distillation column 360. The distillationcolumn 360 captures the ethanol from the liquid-based processing stream310. In various aspects, the distillation column 360 may be, forexample, a distillation column, fractionation column, absorption column,adsorption column, or suchlike adapted to capture the ethanol from theliquid-based processing stream 310.

Stillage 330 is the remnant of the liquid-based processing stream 310following capture of the ethanol from the liquid-based processing stream310. Stillage 330 is an unrefined water-based mixture that may includeunfermented fermentable components 302 of the feedstock as well asnon-fermentable components 304 of the feedstock.

Stillage 330 may be fractionated into various stillage fractionsincluding a settleable fraction 332 and a suspended fraction 334. Thesettleable fraction 332 includes non-dissolved settleable materials thatgenerally settle out of the water component. In various aspects, thesettleable fraction 332 is known in the industry as Distiller's WetGrains (DWG) in the moist form and Dried Distiller's Grains (DDG) in thesubstantially dried form. The suspended fraction 334 includes thegenerally non-settleable materials that remain suspended, solubilized,and/or dissolved in the water component of the stillage 330. Thesuspended fraction 334, for example, may include dissolved materials,colloidal materials, and/or non-colloidal materials that aresufficiently fine and/or of low specific gravity that they generallyremain in suspension.

Upon removal of the settleable fraction 332 from the stillage 330, theremainder that includes the suspended fraction 334 is termed thinstillage. The thin stillage, which may include a large fraction ofwater, may be concentrated in, for example, an evaporator, which removesa portion of the water from the thin stillage to produce syrup. As usedherein, the term Condensed Distiller's Solubles (CDS) encompasses thesuspended fraction 334 of stillage 330, and includes thin stillage andsyrup derived from thin stillage. CDS may be generally liquid, syrup orother viscous fluid, or slurry, paste, or other non-Newtonian fluid, andthe CDS may include various agglomerations, aggregations,non-homogeneities, and/or clumps of material. Dried Distiller's Solubles(DDS) as used herein includes CDS in a dried form—i.e. the suspendedfraction 334 in the dried form as well as various fractions and variantsof the suspended fraction 334 of stillage 330 in the dried form, so thatthe components of DDS generally include the non-water components of CDS.DDS may be generally a powder, a granular material, or similar invarious aspects.

In various aspects, the CDS may include components of the feedstock thatpass through the process units 210 of the ethanol production facility15, and may also include waste yeast including yeast cells and/orportions of yeast cells wasted from the process units 210. The CDS, invarious aspects, includes oils, proteins, amino acids, non-fermentedsugars, unconverted starches, unconverted cellulose, and other materialsthat may be sensitive to heat and may oxidize, denature, or otherwisemay be altered by heat. The CDS, in various aspects, may include fiber,and may include minerals such as phosphorous, sulfur, and calcium. TheCDS may include, in various aspects, various additives such as buffers,acids, and/or bases for the adjustment/control of the pH and saltsthereof, fillers, binding agents, and preservatives. The correspondingDDS would generally include the non-water portions of the CDS such as,for example, oils, proteins, amino acids, non-fermented sugars,unconverted starches, unconverted cellulose, minerals, salts, bindingagents, and preservatives.

In some aspects, the ethanol production facility 15 may be configured toconvert starch-based biomass feedstock into ethanol, and the resultingCDS includes the generally suspended and/or solubilized non-fermentablecomponents 304 of the starch-based biomass feedstock. For example, thestarch-based biomass may be grain such as corn. The grain includesstarch as well as germ, fiber, and gluten. The germ, fiber, and glutenin the grain may be communicated through the process units 210 of theethanol production facility 15 along with the starch as the starch isconverted into fermentable sugar and the fermentable sugar is fermentedinto ethanol. Accordingly, the resulting CDS may generally includesuspended and/or solubilized non-fermentable materials in the grainfeedstock such as germ, fiber, and gluten, and may also include wasteyeast, and may also include unfermented fermentable sugars andunconverted starch and oligosaccharides. The corresponding DDS wouldgenerally include corresponding materials in substantially dried form invarious aspects.

In other aspects, the germ, fiber, and/or gluten in the grain may beremoved by one or more process units 210 prior to fermentation, and theresulting CDS may generally include the suspended and/or solubilizednon-fermentable portions of the grain feedstock that remain followingremoval of the germ, fiber, and/or gluten, as well as waste yeast andstarches that escaped conversion into sugar, and may also includeunfermented fermentable materials such as unfermented sugar. Thecorresponding DDS would generally include corresponding materials insubstantially dried form in various aspects.

In other aspects, the ethanol production facility 15 may be configuredto convert cellulosic biomass feedstock into ethanol, and the resultingCDS includes the generally suspended and/or solubilized non-fermentablecomponents 304 of the cellulosic biomass feedstock. The correspondingDDS would generally include the generally suspended and/or solubilizednon-fermentable components 304 of the cellulosic biomass feedstock insubstantially dried form in various aspects and may include unconvertedcellulose, various oligosaccharides, and/or unfermented fermentablecomponents.

The ethanol production facility 15 may include, in various aspects, oneor more stillage processing units 380 such as, for example, a centrifugeunit, a filter unit, flocculator, evaporator, and combinations thereofadapted to fractionate the stillage 330 into CDS (the suspended fraction334), reduce the water content of the CDS to produce a syrupy form ofCDS, and/or otherwise process the CDS. For example, in various aspects,the one or more stillage processing units 380 may include an oil removalunit 390 adapted to remove oil from the CDS. The oil may be a componentof a grain based feedstock such as corn oil in corn. The oil removalunit 390 may remove the oil by skimming, centrifugation, or solventextraction, or in other ways that would be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. An example ofapparatus and methods for the removal of oil from stillage is given inU.S. Patent Publication Number 2007/0238891 filed Mar. 20, 2007, whichis hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

CDS may contain about 14-40% solids. In some embodiments, CDS containsabout 30-40% solids.

The DDS production apparatus 10 may generate the drying gas stream 20,and CDS may be dried into DDS by introducing CDS into the drying gasstream 20 and recovering DDS from the drying gas stream 20. The dryinggas stream 20 vaporizes the water in the CDS to dry the CDS into DDS.CDS may be continuously introduced into the drying gas stream 20 and DDSmay be continuously recovered from the drying gas stream 20 over aperiod of time in a continuous process, as opposed to a batch process.

The DDS is drier than, and may be substantially drier than, the CDS. Insome aspects, substantially all of the water is removed from the DDS,while, in other aspects, the DDS retains some residual amount of water.The water content of the DDS may be between about 0.5% and about 10%,and may, in certain aspects, be from about 6% to about 8%.

In certain aspects, the drying gas stream 20 may consist generally ofair and combustion products produced by the combustion of various solid,liquid, or gaseous fuels or combinations thereof. Examples of fuelswould include propane, natural gas, and kerosene. In other aspects, thedrying gas stream 20 may consist of heated air or other gas propelled bythe release of compression. In various aspects, the drying gas stream 20may include other gases or combinations of gases, which may be heated invarious ways and configured to form the flowing drying gas stream 20, aswould be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art upon review ofthis disclosure.

In some aspects, the drying gas stream 20 may be characterized by agenerally continuous flow. In other aspects, the drying gas stream 20may be pulsed, and the pulses may have a frequency that may range fromabout 30 Hz to about 1,000 Hz. In various aspects, the drying gas stream20 may include regions of high velocity flow, turbulence, and mayinclude supersonic flows and shock waves. Pressures in the drying gasstream 20 may be about 2×10⁴ Pa (gage) or more in various aspects. Soundpressures in the drying gas stream 20 may fall in the range of about 100dB to about 200 dB in various aspects. In various aspects, a swirlcomponent may be induced into the flow of the drying gas stream 20.

The flowing drying gas stream 20 defines a flow path 90 having a firstend 94 and a second end 96 with the drying gas stream 20 flowinggenerally from the first end 94 to the second end 96. The first end 94of the flow path 90 may be generally coincident with the location atwhich the drying gas stream 20 is generated. The second end 96 of theflow path 90 may be generally coincident with the region from which theDDS is recovered from the drying gas stream 20 and may be defined byvarious structures configured to recover the DDS. The CDS may beintroduced into the flowing drying gas stream 20 at an introductionlocation 110, with the introduction location 110 disposed along the flowpath 90 generally between the first end 94 and the second end 96.

One or more passages 120, which may be defined by tubes, channels,pipes, or other structures, with each passage 120 having one or morepassage outlets 122 adapted for the introduction of CDS into the dryinggas stream 20 may be located in the flow path 90 between the first end94 and the second end 96, and the location of the passage(s) 120 in theflow path 90 defines the introduction location(s) 110. CDS may beintroduced into the drying gas stream 20 at the introduction location(s)110 through the passage(s) 120. Pumps, piping, valves, and other suchstructures may be provided in various aspects to convey the CDS to thepassage(s) 120 for introduction into the drying gas stream 20 at theintroduction location(s) 110 as would be recognized by those of ordinaryskill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

The temperature of the drying gas stream 20 may be 2,300° F. or moregenerally proximate the first end 94 of the drying gas stream 20, whichmay be excessive for drying CDS. Accordingly, the temperature of thedrying gas stream 20 may be controlled, in various aspects, to provide afirst temperature 104 generally proximate the introduction location 110and/or a second temperature 106 generally proximate the second end 96 ofthe flow path 90. The temperature of the drying gas stream 20 may becontrolled in various aspects to control the first temperature 104 ofthe drying gas stream 20 generally proximate the first end 94 of theflow path 90 where the CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream20. The temperature of the drying gas stream 20 may be controlled invarious aspects to control the second temperature 106 of the drying gasstream 20 generally proximate the second end 96 of the flow path 90where the DDS may be recovered from the drying gas stream 20.

For example, one or more gas flows may be combined with the drying gasstream 20 as the drying gas stream 20 flows along the flow path 90 tocontrol, at least in part, the first temperature 104 of the drying gasstream 20 at introduction location 110. The one or more gas flowscombined with the drying gas stream 20 may control, at least in part,the temperature at the second end 96 of the flow path 90. The one ormore gas flows combined with the drying gas stream 20 may control, atleast in part, the temperature variation between the first temperature104 and the second temperature 106. In various aspects, one or more gasflows may be combined with the drying gas stream 20 to provide for theuptake of water vapor and/or for other purposes as would be recognizedby those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Invarious aspects, conditions at the first end 94 of the flow path 90 maybe adjusted in order to achieve a specific first temperature 104 and/orspecific second temperature 106.

The first temperature 104 and/or the second temperature 106 may bechosen depending upon the nature of the CDS to be introduced into thedrying gas stream 20 in order to be dried into DDS. First and secondtemperatures 104, 106 may be selected so that volatile organic content(VOC), which may contain valuable nutrients, are not vaporized by hightemperatures. For example, in various aspects, the first temperature 104may range from about 600° F. to about 2100° F. and the secondtemperature 106 may range from about 130° F. to about 200° F. In oneembodiment, the first temperature 104 may be about 1,000° F. while thesecond temperature 106 may be about 150° F. In other aspects, the firsttemperature 104 may be about 600° F. to about 1200° F. and the secondtemperature 106 may be about 130° F. to about 200° F. In anotherembodiment, the first temperature 104 may be about 1800° F. and thesecond temperature 106 may be about 150° F. In yet another embodiment,the first temperature 104 may be about 1200° F. and the secondtemperature 106 may be about 140° F.

The highly turbulent drying environment, due the high velocity of dryinggas stream 20, atomizes a viscous input, such as CDS, into smallerparticles so that particles are dispersed. The high temperature gasstream 20 quickly evaporates the water from the small particles. Thehighly turbulent environment allows rapid mixing and communicationbetween the hot drying gas stream 20 and the atomized particles. Thedifference between the first and second temperatures 104, 106 of gasstream 20, ΔT, may be as large as 2000° F. In some aspects, ΔT rangesfrom 400° F. to about 1700° F. In some embodiments, ΔT is about 1650° F.Large ΔTs allow for flash drying, in fractions of seconds tomilliseconds or less, so that the temperature of drying particles isnever higher than approximately the second temperature 106. In someembodiments, drying of particles occurs in 1/1000 to 1 second,including, without limitation, 1/1000, 1/100, 1/10, ⅕, ¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾seconds, or 1 second.

In some aspects, atomizing air, including, without limitation, gasdynamic atomizing is used to atomize the CDS. In some embodiments, nospray nozzle is used. Using atomizing air to disperse the CDS intodroplets, has a number of advantages over other drying methods,including spray drying. In general, spray dryers use either rotatingdisks or high pressure nozzles, which result in high shear forces. Incontrast, gas or air atomization results in low or no shear forces.Pressures upstream of an atomizing venturi range from two to six psiabove atmospheric pressure (14.7 psi). In addition, the hot air inconventional spray dryers is very slow moving, and much less turbulentthan pulse combustion drying hot air. Accordingly, atomizing air at avery high first temperature, in concert with a low second temperature,(i.e., high ΔT) results in extreme turbulence when a high velocity gasstream, which may be near sonic velocity, is introduced into the dryingchamber. This allows for very rapid drying. Spray drying methodsgenerally use much lower ΔTs, and much lower gas velocity, resulting inlittle or no turbulence and much longer drying times. Longer dryingtimes require much larger drying chambers for spray drying, whichincrease capital costs dramatically.

The CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream 20 at theintroduction location 110 to be exposed to the temperature of the dryinggas stream 20 while being conveyed by the drying gas stream 20 from theintroduction location 110 to the second end 96 of the flow path 90. TheCDS may be exposed to the temperature of the drying gas stream 20 for anexposure time that may be on the order of fractions of a second, and, insome aspects, on the order of a millisecond or less. The temperature ofthe drying gas stream 20 may cause water associated with the CDS toflash into the vapor phase, while the latent heat of vaporization of thewater in combination with the exposure time may keep the CDS generallycool thereby protecting the CDS from the temperature of drying gasstream 20. Turbulence, high velocities, and/or shock waves in the dryinggas stream 20 may strip water from the CDS and may otherwise increasethe rate of evaporation of water from the CDS by various mechanisms. Thelatent heat of evaporation of the water may also cool the drying gasstream 20, at least in part, from the first temperature 104 to thesecond temperature 106, so that the water content of the CDS may, insome aspects, control the second temperature 106 and may control thetemperature variation between the first temperature 104 and the secondtemperature 106, at least in part. The rate at which CDS is fed into thedrying gas stream 20 may control the first temperature 104, may controlthe second temperature 106, and may control the form of the temperaturegradient between the first temperature 104 and the second temperature106.

In some aspects, the gas stream 20 has a maximum velocity of betweenabout 12,000 feet/minute (fpm) and about 50,410 fpm, (which translatesto velocities between about 61 meters/sec and 256 meters/sec), and insome embodiments maximum velocities are between about 24,000 fpm andabout 30,000 fpm (which translates to velocities between about 122meters/second and 153 meters/second), but may range upward intosupersonic velocities (67,000 fpm, or 343 meters/sec). When the flow ispulsed the gas stream 20 may oscillate between a lower value and themaximum velocity as will be recognized by those skilled in the art. Whenthe gas stream is continuous, the maximum velocity will be maintainedwithin a range or at a desired velocity within these ranges.

The high velocities result in extreme turbulence, which produces highheat transfer rates, leading to higher efficiency drying.

The evaporative rate may range from about 300 to about 600 pounds ofwater per hour in a dryer with a heat release of 1 million BTU per hour.The thermal efficiency may range from about 1200 to about 1800 BTU perpound of water removed. In some embodiments the thermal efficiency maybe about 1200 BTU per pound of water removed; in other embodiments, thethermal efficiency may be about 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 or 1800 BTUper pound of water removed.

In some aspects, drying CDS to DDS may be a continuous process. In someembodiments using a large dryer, water from the CDS may be evaporated ata rate of about 10,000 pounds per hour to about 50,000 pounds per hour.

A collector 60 may be positioned about the second end 96 of the flowpath 90 to recover the DDS from the drying gas stream 20, and thecollector 60 may generally define the second end 96 of the flow path 90.The collector 60 may be a cyclone, baghouse, screen or series ofscreens, filter(s), or similar, or combinations thereof configured tocapture the DDS from the drying gas stream 20 as would be recognized bythose of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Thecollector 60 may be configured to cooperate with various materialhandling and storage mechanisms for the manipulation and/or storage ofDDS, as would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art uponreview of this disclosure.

In some aspects, the drying gas stream 20 may be generated by a pulsecombustion dryer 30. Examples of pulse combustion dryers 30 aredescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,462,995, 4,708,159, 4,819,873, and4,941,820 to Lockwood. The pulse combustion dryer 30 may include acombustor 31 that defines a combustion chamber 32, and a tailpipe 40that defines a tailpipe passage 42 having a first tailpipe passage end44 and a second tailpipe passage end 46. The tailpipe passage 42 is influid communication with the combustion chamber 32 through the firsttailpipe passage end 44.

The pulse combustion dryer 30, in some aspects, may include a dryingchamber 50 that defines a drying chamber passage 52 having a firstdrying chamber passage end 54, a second drying chamber passage end 56,and centerline 153. The first drying chamber passage end 54 of thedrying chamber 50 may be disposed with respect to the second tailpipepassage end 46 of the tailpipe 40 so that the drying chamber passage 52is in fluid communication with the tailpipe passage 42, and, thence, influid communication with the combustion chamber 32. The combustor 31,tailpipe 40, and drying chamber 50 may be disposed with respect to oneanother in a variety of ways and may assume a variety of orientationswith respect to the vertical that would be readily recognized by thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

Combustion air 86 and fuel 84 may be admitted into the combustionchamber 32, and the resulting fuel-air mixture ignited periodically toprovide the drying gas stream 20 in the form of a series of pulses ofair mixed with heated combustion products. Combustion of the fuel-airmixture may be generally complete so that the heated combustion productswould consist largely of carbon dioxide and water vapor. The drying gasstream 20 may flow from the combustion chamber 32, thru the tailpipepassage 42 from the first tailpipe passage end 44 to the second tailpipepassage end 46. In aspects that include the drying chamber 50, thedrying gas stream 20 may be communicated from the tailpipe passage 42into the drying chamber passage 52 generally proximate the first dryingchamber passage end 54, and the drying gas stream 20 may flow throughthe drying chamber passage 52 generally from the first drying chamberpassage end 54 to the second drying chamber passage end 56. Thus, theflow path 90 of the drying gas stream 20 includes the combustion chamber32, the tailpipe passage 42, and, in aspects that include the dryingchamber 50, the flow path 90 also generally includes the drying chamberpassage 52. The first end 94 of the flow path 90 may be generallycoincident with the combustion chamber 32.

In aspects wherein the drying gas stream 20 is generated by the pulsecombustion dryer 30, the collector 60 may be disposed generallyproximate the tailpipe passage second end 96 or, in aspects that includethe drying chamber 50, generally proximate the second drying chamberpassage end 56 to recover the DDS. As would be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure, the collector60 may be disposed in other ways with respect to the drying chamber 50to recover the DDS from the second end 96 of the flow path 90 of thedrying gas stream 20.

The CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream 20 at theintroduction location 110. In various aspects, the introduction location110 may be within the tailpipe passage 42 or within the drying chamberpassage 52. The CDS may be entrained in the drying gas stream 20generally at the introduction location 110 and dried into DDS whilebeing conveyed by the drying gas stream 20 along the portion of the flowpath 90 from the introduction location 110 to the second end 96 of theflow path 90. The DDS may be recovered proximate the second end 96 ofthe flow path 90 of the drying gas stream 20 by the collector 60.

The CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream 20 at theintroduction location 110 from one or more passages 120 through one ormore passage outlets 122 defined by the one or more passages 120disposed about the drying gas stream 20 at the introduction location 110for that purpose. The CDS may pass through the one or more passages 120into the drying gas stream 20 by gravity feed and/or by the applicationof pressures, which may be quite minimal. Pressure pulses in the dryinggas stream 20 may aid in drawing the CDS through the passage 120 andinto the drying gas stream 20. Accordingly, the shear forces that theCDS is subjected to while passing through the passage 120 may begenerally small or negligible. In various aspects, the rate at which CDSis fed into the drying gas stream 20 may be controllable.

In some aspects, nozzles, sprayers, or similar may be appended to thepassage 120 to disperse the CDS from the passage outlet 122 into thedrying gas stream 20. However, this may not be necessary, as thevelocity of the flow of the drying gas stream 20 may be sufficient todisperse the CDS including the atomization of any agglomerations,aggregations, non-homogeneities and/or clumps of materials. The shockwaves and/or turbulence in the drying gas stream 20 may disperse theCDS. Sound waves in the drying gas stream 20 may sonicate the CDS, whichmay aid in the dispersal of the CDS into the drying gas stream 20.Pressure pulses in the drying gas stream 20 may also aid in thedispersal of the CDS into the drying gas stream 20.

FIG. 1 illustrates by schematic diagram an embodiment of the DDSproduction apparatus 10 and associated methods. As illustrated, the DDSproduction apparatus 10 includes an ethanol production facility 15adapted to produce ethanol from feedstock. The ethanol productionfacility, as illustrated, includes process units 210 configured as afirst process unit 410, fermentation unit 350 and distillation column360. The feedstock, in this embodiment, is input into first process unit410, which processes the feedstock into fermentable components 302 andnon-fermentable components 304, and the fermentable components 302 andnon-fermentable components 304 are communicated via the liquid basedprocessing stream 310 from the first process unit 410 to thefermentation unit 350. The fermentable components 302 are generallyfermented into ethanol by the fermentation unit 350, as illustrated. Inthis embodiment, the liquid based processing stream 310 containingethanol 320 and non-fermentable components 304 of the feedstock iscommunicated to the distillation column 360. The ethanol is capturedfrom the liquid based processing stream 310 by the distillation column360, as illustrated, and the remainder of the liquid based processingstream 310 is discharged from the distillation column 360 as stillage330.

As illustrated, the stillage 330 is processed by stillage processingunits 380 configured as centrifuge unit 388 and oil removal unit 390.The stillage 330, in this embodiment, is communicated from thedistillation column 360 to the centrifuge unit 388, which separates thestillage 330 into the settleable fraction 332 and the suspended fraction334. As illustrated, the settleable fraction 332 is discharged from thecentrifuge unit 388 as DWG, and the suspended fraction 334 (CDS) iscommunicated to the oil removal unit 390. The oil removal unit 390generally removes oil 322 from the CDS, and the de-oiled CDS iscommunicated into drying gas stream 20 to be dried into DDS in thisembodiment.

FIG. 1 illustrates by schematic diagram methods of drying CDS into DDSusing the drying gas stream 20. This Figure depicts the drying gasstream 20 flowing along flow path 90 from the first end 94 to the secondend 96. The CDS is introduced into the drying gas stream 20 atintroduction location 110, as illustrated. The CDS is dried by thedrying gas stream 20 while carried by the drying gas stream 20 from theintroduction location 110 to the second end 96 of the flow path 90. TheDDS is recovered from the drying gas stream 20 proximate the second end96 of the flow path 90, the location or locations at which the DDS isrecovered from the drying gas stream 20 generally defining the secondend 94 of the flow path 90.

An embodiment of the pulse combustion drier 30 is generally illustratedin FIG. 2A. The embodiment of FIG. 2A includes the combustor 31, thetailpipe 40 and the drying chamber 50. As illustrated, the combustionchamber 31 fluidly communicates with the tailpipe passage 42 through thefirst tailpipe passage end 44. The tailpipe 40, as illustrated, isdisposed with respect to the drying chamber 50 such that the tailpipepassage 42 fluidly communicates through the second tailpipe passage end46 into the drying chamber passage 52 generally proximate the firstdrying chamber passage end 54. The collector 60 is disposed downstreamof the second drying chamber passage end 56, and the drying chamberpassage 52 fluidly communicates with the collector 60 through the seconddrying chamber passage end 56, as illustrated. In other embodiments, thecollector 60 could be otherwise disposed with respect to the dryingchamber 50. For example, at least a portion of the collector 60 could bepositioned within a portion of the drying chamber passage 52 generallyproximate the second drying chamber passage end 56.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the drying gas stream 20 isgenerated within the pulse combustion dryer 30 and the CDS is introducedinto the drying gas stream 20 to be dried into the CDS. Fuel 84 andcombustion air 86 are admitted into the combustion chamber 32 defined bythe combustor 31 to be ignited periodically in order to produce thedrying gas stream 20, as illustrated. An air valve 88 is disposed in thepath of the combustion air 88 in this embodiment to admit combustion air86 into the combustion chamber 32 while generally preventing backflowsof the drying gas stream 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the flow of thedrying gas stream 20 from the combustion chamber 32, through thetailpipe passage 42, through the drying chamber passage 52 and into thecollector 60 defines the flow path 90. The first end 94 of the flow path90 is generally within the combustion chamber 32, and the second end 96of the flow path 90 is generally proximate the collector 60, which isdisposed about the second drying chamber passage end 56 of the dryingchamber 50, in this embodiment.

CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream 20 at the introductionlocation 110 through the passage outlet 122 defined by passage 120 inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A. In this embodiment, a portion ofthe tailpipe 40 extends into the drying chamber passage 52 of the dryingchamber 50, and the introduction location 110 is within the dryingchamber passage 52 generally proximate the tailpipe passage second end46 and generally proximate the first drying chamber passage end 54. Thepassage 120 is disposed within the drying chamber passage 52 tointroduce the CDS into the drying gas stream 20 generally proximate thecenterline 153 of the drying chamber passage 52, as illustrated in FIG.2A.

In other embodiments, a plurality of passages 120 may be provided andthese may define a plurality of introduction locations 110. One or morepassages 120 may be disposed within the drying chamber passage 42, insome embodiments, to introduce the CDS into the drying gas stream 20 atan off-set from the centerline 153. For example, a plurality of passages120 may be disposed circumferentially within the drying chamber passage42 with each passage 120 of the plurality of passages 120 positioned tointroduce the CDS into the drying gas stream 20 at a constant radiallocation with respect to the centerline 153.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the CDS may be introduced into the drying gasstream 20 through the passage outlet 122 to be entrained into the dryinggas stream 20 and dried into DDS. The collector 60 is positionedproximate the second drying chamber passage end 56 and generally definesthe second end 96 of the flow path 90, in this illustrated embodiment.The DDS may then be recovered from the drying gas stream 20 by thecollector 60.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, one or more additional airflows may beadmitted into the drying chamber passage 52 in various embodiments ofthe pulse combustion dryer 30. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, quench air22 may be admitted into the drying chamber passage 52 generallyproximate the first drying chamber end 54 to control the temperature ofthe drying gas stream 20 within the drying chamber passage 52. Thequantity of quench air 22 admitted into the drying chamber passage 52may be regulated in order to control the temperature of the drying gasstream 20 including the first temperature 104 and the second temperature106. In this embodiment, dilution air 24 may also introduced into thedrying chamber passage 52 generally proximate the first drying chamberpassage end 54 to provide thermodynamic space for the uptake of waterevaporated from the CDS in order to prevent water condensation and/orsaturation conditions in the drying chamber passage 52 and/or in thecollector 60. The quantity of dilution air 24 admitted into the dryingchamber passage 52 may be regulated in various embodiments.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the drying gas stream 20 may pass through acore region 155 generally proximate the centerline 153 of the dryingchamber passage 52. The dilution air 24 may pass through the wall region159 of the drying chamber passage 52, which is the portion of the dryingchamber passage 52 generally proximate the inner wall 53 of the dryingchamber 50. The quench air 22 may pass through an intermediate region157, which is intermediate between the wall region 159 and the coreregion 155.

CDS may be introduced into the drying gas stream 20 passing though thecore region 155. The quench air 22 and/or the dilution air 24 mayprevent or at least diminish contact between the CDS/DDS and the innerwall 53 of the drying chamber 50 as the CDS/DDS is carried through thedrying chamber passage 42 by the drying gas stream 20 in order togenerally reduce or eliminate deposition of DDS onto the inner wall 53.

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-section of the embodiment of the dryingchamber 50 generally illustrated in FIG. 2A. As illustrated in FIG. 2B,the drying chamber 50 defines a drying chamber passage 52 having asubstantially circular cross-section. In this embodiment, the flows ofthe drying gas stream 20, the quench air 22, and the dilution air 24through the drying chamber passage 52 generally define three regionswithin the drying chamber passage. These three regions include the coreregion 155 generally proximate the centerline 153 through which thedrying gas stream 20 generally passes, the intermediate region 155through which the quench air 22 generally passes, and the wall region159 through which the dilution air 24 generally passes. The pulsecombustion dryer 30 may be configured to regulate the amount of quenchair 22 and/or the amount of dilution air 24 admitted into the dryingchamber passage 52 in order to regulate temperature and other conditionswithin the drying chamber passage 52. In other embodiments, one or moreairstreams could be introduced into the drying chamber passage 52 atvarious locations about the drying chamber passage 52 to cool the dryinggas stream 20, provide thermodynamic space for evaporation, or for otherpurposes as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artupon review of this disclosure.

The drying gas stream 20 has a first temperature 104 generally proximatethe introduction location 110, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. The drying gasstream 20 has a second temperature 106 generally proximate the secondend 96 of the flow path 90 of the drying gas stream 20, as illustrated.In various embodiments, the pulse combustion dryer 30 may be configuredto regulate the amount of additional gas flows such as the quench air 22and the dilution air 24 admitted into the drying gas stream 20 toregulate the temperature of the drying gas stream 20 including the firsttemperature 104 and the second temperature 106. In various embodiments,the admission of fuel into the combustion chamber 32 may be controlled,the pulse rate of the pulse combustion dryer 30 may be regulated, and/orthe pulse combustion dryer 30 may be configured and/or controlled inother ways to regulate the temperature of the drying gas stream 20including the first temperature 104 and the second temperature 106, aswould be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art upon review ofthis disclosure. The temperature of the drying gas stream 20 includingthe first temperature 104 and the second temperature 106 may beadjusted, in various aspects, to produce DDS from CDS while notsubstantially denaturing proteins and/or oxidizing oils that may bepresent in the CDS/DDS.

DDS may have the following characteristics. The moisture content mayrange from about 0.5% to about 15%. The dried DDS particles may begenerally spherical in shape.

Methods may include introducing the CDS into the drying gas stream 20and recovering the DDS from the drying gas stream 20. Various aspectsmay include continuously introducing CDS into the drying gas stream 20and continuously recovering DDS from the drying gas stream 20 in acontinuous process. Some aspects include pulsing the drying gas stream20. Some aspects include generating the drying gas stream 20 using apulse combustion dryer 30.

EXAMPLES

A further understanding may be obtained by reference to certain specificexamples, which are provided herein for the purpose of illustration onlyand are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

Example 1

The CDS in this example is derived from an ethanol production facility15 configured to produce ethanol from a corn feedstock by conversion ofcornstarch into fermentable sugar with subsequent fermentation of thefermentable sugar into ethanol. The ethanol production facility 15 is adry grind facility that includes one or more process units 210configured to mill the corn feedstock in order to make the starch in thecorn feedstock accessible for conversion into fermentable sugar insubsequent process units 210. The germ, fiber, and gluten in the cornfeedstock are communicated through the process units 210 with the liquidbased processing stream 310 along with the cornstarch in the cornfeedstock as the cornstarch is converted into fermentable sugar and thefermentable sugar is fermented into ethanol. Accordingly, the CDS inthis example may generally include non-fermentable portions of the cornfeedstock such as portions of the germ, fiber, and gluten, and may alsoinclude waste yeast. The CDS is introduced into the flowing drying gasstream 20 within a pulse combustion dryer 30 in this example. The pulsecombustion dryer 30, in this example, is a Model P1 manufactured byPulse Combustion Systems, Inc. of Payson, Ariz. The pulse combustiondryer settings are given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Pulse Combustion Dryer Settings - Example 1 Heat Release 702,000BTU/hr Turbo Air 80.0 psi Combustion Air 36.5% Rotary Valve 84.5% FeedPump Speed 13.35%  Combustion air pressure 4.43 psi Contact Temperature782° F. Exit Temperature 180° F.

Performance data for the pulse combustion dryer is given in Table 2. Asindicated in Table 2, the CDS is approximately 33.2% solids, and about66.6% of the solids were recovered in the DDS. Although in some aspectsCDS in the form of thin stillage may be introduced directly into thepulse combustion dryer 30, it may be more efficient to condense the thinstillage into syrup and then introduce the syrup (i.e. CDS in syrupform) into the drying gas stream 20 of the pulsed combustion dryer 30.

TABLE 2 Pulse Combustion Dryer Performance - Example 1 Net Feed DuringRun (kg) 256 Percentage of solids 33.2% Dry solids fed during run (kg)85 Cyclone Recovery (kg) 10 Blow-down Recovery (kg) 47 Cyclone Yield (%)11.8 Blow-down Yield (%) 54.8 Dryer Yield (%) 66.6 Cyclone Moisture (%)5.00 Blow-down Moisture (%) 4.15 Water Evaporated (lb) 377 EvaporativeRate (lb/hr) 377 Thermal Efficiency (BTU/lb 1,861 water evaporated)

A sample, termed Sample 1, of DDS produced from CDS under the operatingconditions given in Table 1 was analyzed. The results of the analysisare presented in Table 3 and Table 4.

A gross analysis of Sample 1 is presented in Table 3. The mineralanalysis was performed using a wet digest procedure. The water contentwas determined by heating Sample 1 for 3 hours at 105° C. Oil(fat/lipid) analysis was performed using a solvent extraction procedure.Oil and protein (amino acids) were present in Sample 1.

TABLE 3 Sample Analysis DDS Component Sample 1 Water Content 6.57 — DryMatter (%) 93.43 — Crude Protein (%) 20.2 21.6 Acid Hydrolysis Fat (%)14.4 15.9 Crude Fiber (%) 2.92 3.13 Ash (%) 7.75 8.30 Sulfur (%) 1.261.35 Phosphorous (%) 1.31 1.41 Calcium (%) 0.06 0.06Ash included minerals such as potassium and magnesium.

The protein portion of Sample 1 was broken down into constituent aminoacids, and the resulting amino acid panels for Sample 1 obtained usinghigh pressure liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. Theamino acid panel for Sample 1 is presented in Table 4. The detectionlimit for the amino acids in this example is about 0.01%.

TABLE 4 Sample Analysis DDS Component Sample 1 Alanine (%) 1.40 Arginine(%) 1.19 Aspartic acid (%) 1.56 Cystine (%) 0.59 Glutamic acid (%) 3.38Glycine (%) 1.10 Histidine (%) 0.64 Isoleucine (%) 0.61 Leucine (%) 1.57Total lysine (%) 0.97 Methionine (%) 0.39 Phenylalanine (%) 0.93 Proline(%) 1.37 Serine (%) 1.00 Threonine (%) 0.86 Tyrosine (%) 0.63 Tryptophan(%) 0.23

Example 2

In example 2, the ethanol production facility 15 is a dry grind facilitythat includes one or more process units 210 configured to mill cornfeedstock in order to make the starch in the corn feedstock accessiblefor conversion into fermentable sugar in subsequent process units 210.This is a different ethanol production facility than that of example 1.The CDS in example 2 may generally include non-fermentable portions ofthe corn feedstock such as portions of the germ, fiber, and gluten, andmay also include waste yeast. The CDS is introduced into the drying gasstream 20 within the pulse combustion dryer 30. At least a portion ofthe oil (fat) was removed from the CDS in this example prior tointroduction into the pulse combustion dryer 30. The pulse combustiondryer 30 is a Model P0.1 manufactured by Pulse Combustion Systems, Inc.of Payson, Ariz. The pulse combustion dryer settings are given in Table5.

TABLE 5 Pulse Combustion Dryer Settings - Example 2 Heat Release 84,000BTU/hr Turbo Air 80.0 psi Exhaust Air 60% Combustion Air 60% Quench Air40% Transportation Air  5% Rotary Valve 85% Feed Pump Speed  5%Combustion air pressure 1.44 Contact Temperature 1078° F. ExitTemperature 180° F. Percentage of solids in 28.5%   feed Run time 1.0hour

A sample, termed Sample 2, of DDS produced under the operatingconditions given in Table 1 was analyzed. The results of the analysisare presented in Table 6 and Table 7.

A gross analysis of Sample 2 is presented in Table 6. The mineralanalysis was performed using a wet digest procedure, and the watercontent was determined by heating the sample for 3 hours at 105° C. Oiland protein (amino acids) were present in Sample 2. Oil analysis wasperformed using a solvent extraction procedure.

TABLE 6 Sample Analysis DDS Component Sample 2 Water Content 6.36 — DryMatter (%) 93.64 — Crude Protein (%) 13.1 14.0 Acid Hydrolysis Fat (%)11.0 12.0 Crude Fiber (%) 0.30 0.32 Ash (%) 15.9 17.0 Sulfur (%) 1.061.13 Phosphorous (%) 1.96 2.10 Calcium (%) 0.21 0.22

The protein portion of Sample 2 was broken down into constituent aminoacids, and the resulting amino acid panels for Sample 2 obtained usinghigh pressure liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. Theamino acid panel for Sample 2 is presented in Table 7. The detectionlimit for the amino acids in this example is about 0.01%.

TABLE 7 Sample Analysis DDS Component Sample 2 Alanine (%) 0.91 Arginine(%) 0.81 Aspartic acid (%) 0.90 Cystine (%) 0.38 Glutamic acid (%) 2.13Glycine (%) 0.69 Histidine (%) 0.35 Isoleucine (%) 0.28 Leucine (%) 0.72Total lysine (%) 0.43 Methionine (%) 0.26 Phenylalanine (%) 0.45 Proline(%) 0.92 Serine (%) 0.57 Threonine (%) 0.48 Tyrosine (%) 0.35 Tryptophan(%) 0.05

Example 3

An analysis of another embodiment of DDS is presented in Table 8. ThisDDS was derived from an ethanol production facility 15 using a cornfeedstock and a dry mill process. An analysis of the DDS, termed Sample3, is given in Table 8. The mineral analysis in Table 8 was performed byinductively coupled argon plasma spectrometer (ICAP) using a wet digestprocedure. The moisture content was determined by heating the sample for3 hours at 105° C. Oil analysis was performed using an acid hydrolysisprocedure.

TABLE 8 Component As Sent Dry Wt. Moisture Distillers Grains (%) 7.95 *Dry Matter (%) 92.05 * Crude Protein (%) 19.1 20.7 Acid Hydrolysis Fat(%) 11.0 12.0 Crude Fiber (%) <.2 <.2 Ash (%) 10.8 11.7 Sulfur (%) 1.591.72 Phosphorus (%) 2.06 2.24 Calcium (%) 0.16 0.16

Note that Sample 3 is about 21% protein and about 12% oil (dry weight).Samples 1 and Sample 2 are about 22% and 14% protein, respectively, andthe oil contents of Sample 1 and Sample 2 are about 5% and 4%respectively. The oil contents of Samples 1 and 2 may have beenunderestimated by the analytical methodology employed. The oil contentand the protein content may make CDS difficult to dry in order to formDDS without oxidizing the oils and/or denaturing the proteins. Samples1, 2, and 3 appear to indicate that protein has generally survived thedrying of the CDS into DDS. Similarly, Sample 3 may indicate that oilpresent in the CDS has generally survived the drying of the CDS intoDDS.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments. Upon review of the specification, one of ordinary skill inthe art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from theaccompanying figures and claims, that various changes, modifications andvariations can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

1. A composition, DDS, comprising the following properties: moisturecontent between about 0.5% and about 10%; and wherein the DDS is formedby drying CDS in a drying gas stream having a maximum velocity of atleast 60 meters per second.
 2. The composition of claim 1, wherein thegas stream is a pulsed gas stream.
 3. The composition of claim 1,wherein the gas stream has a maximum velocity between about 60 metersper second and about 260 meters per second.
 4. The composition of claim2, wherein the CDS is introduced into a portion of the gas stream havinga temperature between about 600° F. and about 1800° F.
 5. Thecomposition of claim 2, wherein a second temperature of the gas streamranges from about 120° F. and about 200° F.
 6. The composition of claim2, wherein a second temperature of the gas stream ranges from about 130°F. and about 150° F.
 7. The composition of claim 2, wherein the CDS isatomized in the gas stream by air atomization.
 8. The composition ofclaim 2, wherein a CDS particle is dried to DDS in about 0.5 seconds orless.
 9. The composition of claim 1, wherein the CDS comprises about 14to about 40% solids.
 10. An apparatus, comprising: an ethanol productionfacility; and a pulse combustion dryer, the pulse combustion dryer influid communication with the ethanol production facility such that asuspended fraction of stillage may be communicated from the ethanolproduction facility to the pulse combustion dryer to be dried into DDS.11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the stillage comprises CDS.